Chapter 17 – Before the Storm
Ashveil's sky was streaked with crimson as the sun set behind the broken skyline.
Auther knelt silently beside the corpse of a horned beast—a wolf-like mutant with bone armor and glowing red eyes. His blade pulsed faintly in the dim light, still humming with residual mana.
Blood pooled beneath the carcass. A stench of rot and corrupted mana lingered in the air.
He exhaled.
Rank E2.
His most difficult kill before today.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, not bothering to clean the blood on his cloak.
---
[Enemy Defeated – Rank: E2]
[Skill Points Gained: +10]
---
That made his total: 22 Skill Points.
Auther stood and stretched his limbs, feeling the sharp ache of bruises and overworked muscles. He wasn't unscathed—but he was far from broken.
Two weeks ago, he would've died from one swipe of this beast's claws.
Now?
He had survived five.
And won.
But this wasn't the end of his journey.
It was the threshold.
Only one step remained between him and the next evolution.
F9.
The peak of mortals.
He clenched his fist and turned eastward, where a deeper threat awaited.
---
According to one of the looted datapads he had decrypted, a semi-intelligent E3 mutant had been spotted deep in the industrial district—larger, stronger, and far more territorial than others of its kind.
A Corekeeper.
The name came from its habit of hoarding monster cores—devouring some, storing others. Mutants like these sometimes formed natural dungeons due to the mana concentration around them.
Auther had marked it days ago.
He hadn't dared approach then.
But now?
He needed it.
If he could kill it and absorb its core—F9 would be within reach.
And with the points he'd earn, he could finally create the Internal Fortification skill and maybe even prep his body for the breakthrough.
---
By nightfall, he'd reached the district: rusted factories, collapsed smokestacks, and thick haze that stung his throat. Mana here was twisted, heavy with residual death.
He crouched low and activated Phantom Echo, sending a decoy version of himself into the shadows ahead.
Seconds later, the earth trembled.
The beast emerged with a roar that shook the buildings.
Its body was massive—easily three meters tall. Armor plates covered its limbs. Twin tusks jutted from its jaw, and two curved horns shimmered with dark mana.
A tail of segmented bone lashed behind it, and its chest held embedded monster cores, glowing dimly through cracked flesh.
Auther's pulse quickened.
But he didn't run.
He narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Let's dance."
---
The Corekeeper charged, ignoring the decoy instantly—it had sensed his mana.
Auther dashed to the side, narrowly dodging a boulder-sized fist that crushed the pavement where he stood a moment earlier.
He activated Burst Step, launching up a steel pipe toward higher ground.
The Corekeeper roared and followed.
Auther slashed with Mana Edge, aiming for the creature's eye—but it blocked with its arm, deflecting the strike with armor-thick bone.
"Too tough up close…"
He leapt backward, landed in a roll, and immediately activated Disrupting Pulse.
A wave of mana struck the beast's nerves, causing it to stumble mid-charge.
Just enough.
He charged in, sliding beneath its swing and driving his blade into the softer tissue near its inner thigh.
It shrieked, spun, and slammed him across the chest with its tail.
Pain exploded through his ribs as he crashed into a wall.
Auther coughed blood, vision swimming.
But he stood.
He activated Flesh Knitting, and his ribs began to slowly pull back into alignment.
"Not done yet."
---
He threw a mana flare he'd crafted from crystal shavings into the air.
The flash stunned the beast for a moment—and Auther used that moment to leap, sword extended.
He aimed directly for the chest, where cores glowed between cracks in the armor.
His blade struck true.
The Corekeeper howled.
Its body convulsed as the strike disrupted its internal flow.
Auther ripped the blade free and kicked off its torso, flipping back onto solid ground.
The beast stumbled.
Then collapsed.
Its breath rasped.
And finally stopped.
---
[Enemy Defeated – Rank: E3]
[Skill Points Gained: +15]
---
He collapsed to one knee, panting hard.
His body was a mess—bruised, torn, and burned by mana backlash.
But his grin stretched ear to ear.
"I won…"
His fingers trembled as he reached into the beast's chest.
He extracted the core—a dense, dark-purple gem the size of his palm. It pulsed in his hand like a heartbeat.
He'd need to absorb this carefully.
It could very well push him into F9—or beyond.
But not now.
First… he needed to prepare.
---
Back at his bunker, Auther sat cross-legged in silence.
A mana lantern glowed beside him. His battered body had been treated with potions and skills. His breathing was calm.
He opened his Skill Creation screen.
---
[Skill Points: 37]
---
Finally.
Enough to complete the one skill he'd designed days ago.
---
> Name: Internal Fortification
Description: "A passive skill that gradually reinforces internal organs, blood vessels, and mana circuits through ambient mana exposure. Increases durability and breakthrough survivability. Especially effective when paired with cultivation techniques."
Rank: F3
Cost: 10 SP
---
He confirmed the creation.
---
[Skill Created: Internal Fortification (F3)]
---
He felt it immediately.
A soft hum in his core, like a second heartbeat.
His organs felt tighter, denser. His lungs breathed deeper. His blood moved more smoothly.
It wasn't flashy.
But it would save his life.
"Next…"
He hesitated.
Then wrote:
---
> Name: Neural Reinforcement
Description: "A passive technique that enhances mana flow through neural pathways. Improves reaction speed, reduces skill activation delay, and boosts mind-body synchronization."
Rank: F3
Cost: 12 SP
---
He grinned.
"You'll help me keep up when things get real."
---
[Skill Created: Neural Reinforcement (F3)]
[Remaining SP: 15]
---
Lastly, he updated Starwave Breathing, modifying its efficiency and syncing it with his new foundation.
---
> Starwave Breathing – Modified
Rank: F7 → F8
Description updated to increase mana retention rate and internal cleansing speed.
[Cost: 15 SP]
[Confirmed.]
---
His body pulsed with newfound stability.
He stood slowly and looked at his reflection in a cracked shard of mirror glass.
His once-pale skin was slightly tanned now, subtly lined with lean muscle. His eyes glowed faintly silver when mana flared through them.
He was no longer a scared boy with white hair and shaking hands.
He was a cultivator.
An Awakener-to-be.
And he was ready.
---
He placed the E3 core in front of him and took a deep breath.
He activated Energy Activation and Starwave Breathing together, forming a perfect circuit.
The core pulsed.
And began to break.